John Hinckley Jr. released from psychiatric hospital

By

Sarah Mulé

John Hinckley Jr. is flanked by federal agents as he is driven away from court April 10, 1981. The son of a former Colorado oilman, Hinckley was convicted in a 1982 trial than included evidence he shot Reagan in an effort to impress Jodie Foster, an actress he had never met. Hinckley, now 61, was released from St Elizabeths Hospital after nearly 35 years in psychiatric care. UPI Files | License Photo

Presidential assailant John Hinckley, Jr. leaves court March 24th. A judge denied Hinckley's plea for more freedom at the mental hospital where he is committed, rejecting his claim that his mental illness is "in remission." UPI Files | License Photo

Agents tend to Presidential Press Secretary James Brady and a wounded police office after subduing John Hinckley Jr. (right background), who got off six rounds at President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981. File Photo by Don Rypka/UPI | License Photo

John W. Hinckley was indicted August 24, 1981 by a Federal Grand Jury on charges of attempting to assassinate President Reagan March 30. Hinckley was also charged with wounding Press Secretary james Brady, D. C. Policeman Thomas Delahanty and Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy. (UPI Photo/Files) | License Photo

A secret service agent tends to Presidential Press Secretary James Brady laying wounded on the ground after John Hinckley in an attempt to assassinate President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981 fired six shots with a pistol. File Photo by Don Rypka/UPI | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- After a 1981 attempt to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, John Hinckley Jr. was released on Saturday from St. Elizabeths Hospital, the psychiatric facility that has been his home for nearly 35 years.

A federal judge ordered Hinckley's release in July, saying the 61-year-old no longer posed a threat to himself or others.

Hinckley will reside with his mother, 90, in Williamsburg, Va., and will only be allowed to travel within a 50-mile radius of her home, as part of the conditions of his release. He is also required to carry a GPS-enabled phone, avoid government buildings and continue regular psychiatric treatment.